Conversations With Cinthia

Loneliness has reached pandemic proportions during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Studies are showing loneliness, suicide, and other troubling relationship-oriented problems to be skyrocketing.  Today Cinthia is thrilled to talk with Josh McDowell about the impact of the current circumstances on Generation Z.  The two note that our society’s emotional state going into the pandemic contributed to this but also discuss ways that contributing to the lives of others, even while locked down and isolated, is possible and is key to maintaining mental health.  Josh McDowell also discusses his own experiences fearing the idea of a Heavenly Father until he experienced relationship with Him.  Cinthia then further discusses the current struggle with loneliness and why God wants us in relationships in the first place.  If you are struggling with loneliness at any level, this episode is for you.  Join us.

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Pain has been part of life on earth since Adam and Eve ate the fruit.  Sometimes it becomes so intense that we wonder where God is or how such pain can exist when a loving God is ultimately sovereign.  Today Cinthia discusses the Book of Job and what God does with the suffering that plagues His creation.  

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Object constancy is the ability to trust relationships to survive despite conflict, absence, or other difficulty.  This doesn't come easily for everyone, especially if it didn't develop well in childhood, and some people may find themselves thinking a relationship is over anytime they have a fight.  Others seem to act as though the relationship is irrelevant whenever their partner is out of the room.  But Jesus told us that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that He is with us always.  He is the One Who can heal our wounded sense of object constancy and bring us to approach our other relationships with greater health and objectivity.  Join Cinthia to explore how to start working on this today!  

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Have you ever met anyone who just seemed angry all the time?  Have you ever been that person?  Have you ever pushed anger down to the point that it was running your life without even being acknowledged?  Anger is a healthy, normal emotion, one that is given to us by God for a purpose.  It's a great place to visit but a terrible place to live.  Today Cinthia discusses what to do with our anger so that it helps us and those around us instead of destroying us and them.  She is joined in the latter part of the episode by Michael Clark, who is in recovery from engaging in domestic violence and who has now founded the Ananias Foundation for others who struggle with it, as well.  

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The term "critical thinking" is popular in education these days, but actual critical thinking often takes a back seat to villainizing each other, ranting, and even name-calling.  Christians, unfortunately, are vulnerable to this, too, and we are currently divided over a number of issues, not the least of which is Donald Trump.  Is he sent from God?  Is he the enemy?  Today Cinthia discusses what it means to think critically, then talks with Michael Brown about his ideas concerning evangelicals' reactions to Donald Trump.  No, we aren't planning to turn this into a political podcast; today is a look at what it means to think critically about issues in ways that move us toward being our own best versions.  

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What made Jesus angry?  What makes you angry?  Anger is normal and healthy; God feels it and gave us the ability to feel it for a reason.  But living with ongoing, unresolved anger can be harmful, and anger can begin to inordinately influence our health, relationships, decisions, and lives.  Today Cinthia discusses the purpose of anger, what it does in our bodies and brains, warning signs that anger is playing too powerful a role, and managing anger well.    

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COVID-19 has struck fear into the hearts of people across the nation and around the world, and those considered to be in "vulnerable" populations may especially receive the message that they should be afraid.  For some of us, though, fear is a familiar foe.  Today Cinthia begins by looking at fear in general and is then joined by Bruce Bruinsma, author of Retirement Reformation and leader of a movement by the same name.  Mr. Bruinsma asserts that, instead of conforming to the portrayal of seniors as fragile and weak, those of retirement age can be leaders in the fight against fear, using their experience and learning to help younger generations know what to do with their fear in the current situation.  Whether your fears focus on the coronavirus, aging, or entirely separate matters, this episode can challenge your perspective and help you gain strength.  Join us!

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How free are you?  Do you truly experience liberty?  Liberty and freedom are big concepts with big implications for politics, but they are also important concepts for those of us seeking to live our best lives, be our own best versions, and generally manage ourselves and our lives in healthy ways.  Victor Frankl, for example, lived for years in concentration camps and found that he and other captives experienced differing levels of internal liberty, despite being equally deprived of their outward freedoms.  If liberty involves the power and freedom to act as you choose to act and to manage your own mind, are you experiencing that power and freedom, or have you given up control to habits, grudges, regrets, addictions, codependent attachments, thinking patterns, or other forces?  Join Cinthia to discuss what it means to live as truly free people and as those who embrace liberty, regardless of our circumstances. 

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Some decisions seem like such good ideas at the time… but they don’t always turn out that way. While we can’t predict all the factors all the time, wisdom enables us to make better decisions, ones that will benefit us long-term instead of simply making us feel better right now.  Wisdom is different from intelligence or knowledge; it’s not even the same as education.  Wisdom has to do with how we apply those things, and there are times when the wisest people don’t have the credentials we tend to value.  God is eager to give us wisdom and urges us to ask for it.  So why does wisdom seem so hard to grasp sometimes?  And, if wisdom is supposed to increase with years, why do we sometimes find ourselves aging and confused at the same time?  Join Cinthia to explore what wisdom is, how to get it, and how to keep walking as you seek this most valuable treasure.

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Do you ever wish there was a handbook about friendship for adults?  Something for those of us longing to enjoy friendships more, be a better friend, or connect more easily?  Today Cinthia tackles the topic of adult friendship, pointing us to the One Who most exemplifies friendship and Who calls us (His followers) His friends.  She explores the meaning and nature of friendship, how to be the kind of friend your friends need, and what it means to be a friend of God.  If you want friends, it helps to be friendly.  Today's episode offers help to figure out what this means and what it has to do with you.

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